Remembering Abu Abraham, the cartoonist who bore witness

“Abu’s World”, an exhibition to commemorate his birth centenary, reminds us that his cartoons will always be ammunition in the war against hatred.

“Abu’s World” the exhibition of Abu Abraham’s cartoons which was held at Durbar Hall, Kochi from March 22 to April 21. | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

In the world of journalism, there is enough scholarship on the role of reporting as bearing witness, investigative journalism, design elements, editorial judgment, and the balance between the public interest component and another powerful component called “what the public is interested in”. If this scholarship has to be more effective, we need a more in-depth exploration of the discipline of the editorial cartoon. It is a significant political art that shapes our understanding of current affairs. The high point of political cartooning is its intrinsic ability to question those in power and demand accountability without rancour. 

A recent exhibition held at Durbar Hall in Kochi, which featured about 300 images of cartoons by Abu Abraham, was an excursion in erudition of this political art. Abu Abraham (June 11, 1924–December 1, 2002) was one of the finest exponents of political cartooning in India. His daughters Ayisha Abraham and Janaki Abraham deserve credit for systematically preserving and categorising his works from the early 1950s onwards. The images,  which capture India’s postcolonial journey, have been selected from their exhaustive archival collection of Abu’s work. 

Abu Abraham’s daughters Ayisha and Janaki with the critic M.K. Sanoo who inaugurated the exhibition on March 22 at Durbar Hall, Kochi. | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

Succinctly capturing the importance of Abu Abraham’s show in Kochi, the cartoonist E.P. Unny wrote: “The revisit threw up one too many reminders of a past that hasn’t quite gone away—of the declared emergency, committed judiciary and guided democracy, not to speak of battle tanks and bomber jets back in action in Gaza and Ukraine.” In a sense, the 300-odd images and the sketch books from Abu Abraham’s visit to Palestine and Cuba are a grim reminder of the political morass in which we are trapped and of how decolonialisation does not really mean freedom.  

Why is Abu’s work important today and what is the significance of his art? Indian journalism has drawn much from the earlier print revolution that re-shaped the Anglo-American press. In fact, a close reading will show how the Indian press opted for an amalgam of the US and the UK models to create a voice for itself in the postcolonial era.

Trained by the British

Abu Abraham worked for UK publications for 13 years.  He worked for The Observer for a decade (1956-66) and had a three-year stint with The Guardian (1966-69), much before The Guardian could take over The Observer. It is important to remember that The Observer is the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world, founded in 1791. The British journalistic tradition viewed political cartoons as an artistic vehicle characterised by both metaphorical and satirical language.

In its entry on cartoons, the Encyclopaedia Britannica explains the values that governed the English press for nearly four centuries. It reads: “When successful, political cartoons can fulfil an important criticising and controlling function in society. In addition, political cartoons can encourage the process of opinion formation and decision making  as well as provide entertaining perspectives on the news.” Abu’s work over nearly four decades is a testimony to this multiple functions of effective political cartooning. 

Abu was free from the present-day xenophobia that gets agitated when there is a global scrutiny of our affairs. He was a universalist like Rabindranath Tagore in earlier decades, and drew from the idea that debate, dissent, and fair criticism are a vital part of a healthy democracy. In 1976, he explained the importance of politics in an essay in Seminar magazine. He wrote: “I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing non-political in the world. Politics is simply anything that is controversial and everything in the world is controversial.” 

One of Abu Abraham’s most popular cartoons in The Indian Express, showing President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signing the declaration of Emergency in 1975 from his bathtub. | Photo Credit: By special arrangement

A few years ago, when I was part of an international media development organisation, there was an attempt to spell out the skills required for a cartoonist in our job description. The job description had five key requirements: 1) artistic talent and excellent drawing skills; 2) creativity, originality and imagination; 3) wit and a good sense of humour; 4) individual style and a profound understanding of the latest trends and 5) the ability to accept criticism.

This description may sound generic but it was informed by studying the works of cartoonists such as David Low, Abu Abraham, and R.K. Laxman. Abu’s skills and his command over his lines are matchless. Journalism has two components: reporters bear witness and analytical writers help us to make sense of the complex reality that is unfolding before us.  

A witness and an analyst

As a political artist, Abu was both a witness and an analyst who deciphered political developments for the reader in an accessible language. His profile sketches of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and Nelson Mandela provide an extraordinary insight into these revolutionary figures, far more than any photographs. His meticulous drawings of men, women, and children when he visited Palestine refugee camps in 1967 is a testimony to their displacement, hardships in the camps, and the poignancy of exile.  

Abu’s sketch of Nelson Mandela.  | Photo Credit: By special arrangement

Abu’s sketch of Fidel Castro. | Photo Credit: By special arrangement

A Palestine refugee camp. Abu’s meticulous drawings of men, women, and children when he visited Palestine in 1967 is a testimony to their displacement, hardships in the camps, and the poignancy of exile.  

Abu’s cartoons dealing with the 1969 spilt in the Indian National Congress, the excesses of Emergency, and the actions of the judiciary as an extension of the executive exemplify the cartoonist’s ability to hold a mirror to those who wield power. These cartoons also point out the weaknesses of today’s mainstream media.

When the first phase of the transfer of power from various institutions to the Prime Minister’s Office happened between 1969 and 1977, it was effectively lampooned by the conscientious Abu Abraham. Now we witness a far more diabolical concentration of power in the hands of the executive, but we have far less visual documentation of our present-day democratic deficiencies in the mainstream media. 

Abu’s work documented the strain on our federal balance and the shift that happened over the 1960s and 1970s. As Janaki Nair points out in the catalogue for the show “Abu’s World”, his cartoons examined the dynamism of Centre-State relations. She writes: “Regional party leaders were shown for their ability to withstand the centralising tendency, and for their active part in shaping of national politics.”

I am particularly impressed by his cartoon of March 14, 1975, that appeared in Indian Express. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi is holding a banner proclaiming “Autonomy Now”. And two Congress leaders tell him: “Karunanidhiji, let the International Women’s Year be over, then we’ll discuss the matter seriously.” What was true in in 1975 is more terrifyingly true in 2024.  

Karl Marx’s oft-quoted observation was about history repeating itself, first as tragedy, and then as farce. Cartoons tell us that history has an ability to repeat itself endlessly and its humour sans hatred prepares us to wage a war for dignity. Abu’s work provides us with enough ammunition to wage the essential war against hatred and humiliation. 

A.S. Panneerselvan is Fellow, Roja Muthiah Research Library, Taramani, Chennai.